Graeme Swann expects to be firing for Champions Trophy and Ashes

Spinner Graeme Swann is "confident" that his elbow will stand the rigours of England's upcoming schedule.

Last Updated: 09/05/13 5:45pm

Swann, 34, is back in action for Nottinghamshire after undergoing an operation to remove floating bone from his elbow which forced him to miss the winter Test matches in New Zealand.

The off-spinner got 40.2 overs under his belt in his county's County Championship defeat to Durham and has since bowled in two Yorkshire Bank 40 games, against Northamptonshire and Kent.

Swann will team up with the rest of the England squad in London on Sunday ahead of next week's first Test against New Zealand - the start of a busy international nine months that includes the ICC Champions Trophy and back-to-back Ashes series.

Looking ahead to the summer, Swann told Sky Sports that he is very happy with his form and his fitness.

"Touch wood it is going in the right direction," said Swann, who has taken 212 wickets at just under 30 in 50 Test appearances.

"My shoulder doesn't like throwing very much, but I can stand at slip in Test matches and hopefully get away with that. But [the elbow] feels great. I've got a nice rhythm at the crease and I'm getting some good revs and some good bounce, so I can't really complain.

Amazing

"It is a long summer but I've had four months off now; I've not had a break like that since I started playing for England.

"Who knows if the arm will hold up? I think it will - I'm quietly confident. It is an amazing summer - it is a long one with the Champions Trophy and two Ashes series; you can't get better than that, really.

"Hopefully [the operation] has solved the problem. It was removing things from the arm rather than putting anything in there.

"I'm happy playing all three [forms of the game], to be honest. I've been quite vocal over the last few years that I don't enjoy one-day cricket as much, but when you miss formats you start pining for it again."

Chance

England will open their ICC Champions Trophy campaign against Australia on June 8 before playing further Group A games against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Aside from their victory in the 2010 World Twenty 20, England have struggled to make their mark in ICC limited-over competitions but Swann believes that under new limited overs coach Ashley Giles, England - rated second in the ODI rankings - are well-set to challenge for the title.

"I think we have [got a real chance]," he reflected. "First and foremost it is in England and we've got a really good record over the last few years here in one-day series.

"You've got to temper that with the fact that it is a knockout competition, so we have to win one-off games.

"We got to the [World Cup] final before I was in the England side and we should have won that game a few years back so let's hope we can go one better this time."

Watch the full interview by clicking on the video above and get Swann's view on:

REWRITING THE RULES: how new one-day regulations are affecting bowlers

LEFT LIFT: why he's looking forward to tackling Australia's top order

LINE OF ATTACK: how the introduction of DRS has altered his approach

Watch the first Test between England and New Zealand from 10am on Sky Sports 1 HD on Thursday.